Highway wreck results in injured employee
On behalf of of Frederick & Hagle posted in Workplace Injuries on Sunday, September 21, 2014.
Even in situations when a third-party may also be partially liable for an Illinois employee’s injuries, if he or she was injured while on the job, then they are generally still eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. An injured employee from another state was operating a tractor in the grassy center of a highway when he was injured. The accident occurred when a passing vehicle left the roadway.
The tractor was attached to a mower deck, and the employee in question was apparently in the process of mowing the grass alongside the highway when the collision occurred. The force of the impact threw the employee from the tractor, and he crashed through the windshield of the vehicle that caused the wreck. The 18-year-old driver only suffered a minor facial laceration. It is estimated that he was driving roughly 55 mph at the time of the accident.
However, the employee that was operating the tractor suffered serious injuries, including a punctured lung and head trauma. His ankle was also fractured. He had to be transported to the hospital, where he was placed in the surgical ICU.
Although the wreck was caused by a driver who police believe took his eyes off of the road, the employee suffered his injuries while in the course of completing his work duties. When such accidents occur while on the job, an employee may be out of work for a considerable amount of time, and lost wages on top of medical bills can be exceptionally stressful. Workers’ compensation can often relieve some of those burdens by providing compensation to an injured employee in Illinois.
Source: blog.gulflive.com, “Ocean Springs public works employee ejected from tractor, injured after car strikes equipment“, April M. Havens, Sept. 16, 2014
